Highline Public Schools will have an educational programs levy on the ballot in February. This will renew the current local funding for schools, which will expire at the end of 2011.

As a past school board member, I know how critical these funds are to the schools in our community.
Levies were designed to pay for enhancements like music, sports, and extracurricular activities, but now levy dollars go for basics like school bus transportation and books.

Eighty percent of the levy money pays for teachers and other staff. The state is supposed to pay for basic education, but the state doesn't fully fund everything it takes to educate kids to today's standards. The levy now makes up about 25 percent of the operating district's budget.

To make matters worse, state cuts have slashed the district's budget by almost $15 million over the past three years, so levy dollars even more critical.

Our community can't afford not to renew this levy. Failure would mean dozens of teachers and other staff would be laid off, class sizes would go up, and our kids would be expected to prepare for tomorrow's jobs without adequate technology.

Our community needs excellent schools. I urge all voters to support the levy in February.

Tom Slattery
White Center